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Professional Development for Career Practitioners

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Top Industries on LinkedIn

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What are the Top Industries on LinkedIn?

I wanted to know what the top industries on LinkedIn were for Chapter 4 in my book, A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Top Industries on LinkedClients Create Their Next Move. (Spring 2019). Unfortunately, I could not find anything more recent than in 2016.

So in February 2019, my virtual assistant (Patte) and I used the LinkedIn search function to look up every industry on LinkedIn and record the numbers of people in that industry.

There were a few surprises as I really thought I knew what I’d find. The biggest surprises were how high the construction field (#3) and the automotive industry (#9) were on the list. I could see that some people indeed were front line people like carpenters and mechanics, but the numbers were much larger for the owners, sales staff, human resources, and I.T. That makes sense as they are building their networks to provide more services. [Read more…] about Top Industries on LinkedIn

Clients Stuck in the Job Search? Now What Do You Do?

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Do you have clients who are stuck in the job search?

stuck in a job search

I’m sure you do. Here is one way to help nudge them and hopefully create some excitement to move forward. When I have a client who is stuck in the job search I have them create a list of 50 companies they could see themselves working for or would like to explore working for them.

Oftentimes, clients feel overwhelmed with where to start, confused, can’t see themes to explore in their job search, or for whatever reason, are just plain stuck in the job search process. By having them create a list of 50 companies to explore, they can then begin doing some research, reaching out to their network, and exploring…and it feels like forward progress. Because it is.

LIST 50 COMPANIES

The goal is to simply list 50 companies and not spend more than 5 minutes or so on any one site. Encourage them to trust their instincts and let “intentional serendipity” be their guide. “Intentional serendipity” is taking action, doing something like exploring the below website, and then be open to discovering something by accident.

Start by exploring sites similar to Best Places To Work in Maine. Most states, regions, and even cities will often have this list. I like people to begin here because most of these companies will have positive work cultures. Many clients I work with are very unhappy with their company culture or their boss and it can be difficult for them to see the positive in their career search.

Other great sites to check out might be GlassDoor.com, Indeed.com (who’s hiring), and search ‘best companies to work ____’ and see what suggestions come up below that search. My search came up with ‘best companies to work remote, part-time, and freelance’ and many others. Trust those instincts. They kept cave men alive over the years.

Go through their LinkedIn 1st connections and look for people who might be doing work that interests your client. See where these people are working, or worked. Of course, they can add any company they know of that interests them.

The goal is to get 50 names of companies, as quickly as possible, on to a list.

NOW RATE THEM

After producing a list of 50 companies go back and rate them:

1 – I really like these

2 – Seems like a nice place to work

3 – I’d like to know more about these companies

Rate between 10-15 companies a #1 and 10-15 companies a #2.

They now have 10-15 companies #1’s to start with and do additional research. Help them set a goal of researching at least ____ number of their #1’s each day or week.  By limiting the number it becomes manageable.

BEGIN RESEARCHING

Start with the #1’s and go to their website and social media sites. In a career journal begin taking notes. At this point, try not to spend more than 15 minutes on each company.

  • What industry is this in?
  • Which values align with them?
  • Are they growing? Declining in their field?
  • What jobs interest them at this company?
  • Who in their LinkedIn network is a 1st or 2nd connection, that works there currently or worked there in the past? [Go to the search box, don’t put any text in, just ENTER. Click on “all filters”]
  • Do any of these companies have anything in common? Is there a theme?

The goal is to identify the top few companies to begin further exploration. Maybe the top 3-5 so they can get some momentum going and to not be stuck in the job search anymore.

STRATEGIC CONVERSATIONS

Now have them reach out to people who work there or did in the past. Ask for 10-15 minutes of their time. This is always easier if they are ‘warm connections’ like 1st connections or people they know. Have them start simple and stay focused.

  • What do/did they like about working there?
  • Was there anything they didn’t like about the company? Or wished had been different?
  • Is/was there an opportunity to grow?
  • Where would your client’s skill set fit into the company? (Of course hopefully, this is one of the areas you are working with them on articulating)
  • Are there similar companies they could recommend?
  • Are there any people they should talk to and can they connect them?

After this, they can continue to all their #2’s and #3’s on their list of 50. The key is to break the process down into something manageable that helps them gain an understanding of what the options are out there. This will also help them focus their efforts. When you have 1000’s of companies to explore it is hard to begin. By narrowing down the list they can then prioritize. Once they identify top companies they can start paying attention to them on social media, follow them, and continue to learn more about opportunities.

It really is about effort and forward progress. “Action” is where intentional serendipity happens and sometimes it is the little things that can help someone get unstuck in their job search.

What do you do to help your clients who are
stuck in the job search?

———————————————

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a monthly newsletter for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You can also receive the career practitioners newsletter which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more.

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My Career Inspiration for 2019

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career inspiration

My career inspiration for 2019 starts by choosing three words to guide me throughout the year.

By choosing 3 words to guide and inspire me, rather than creating specific goals, I get career inspiration in a variety of ways, both personally and professionally.  When I think about “career” it is in its broadest definition as defined by Donald Super.

A career is defined as the combination and sequence of roles played by a person during the course of a lifetime. It concerns an individual’s progression through a series of jobs over his or her lifetime and includes that person’s education and unpaid work experiences, such as internships and volunteer opportunities.  Donald Super.

How I choose my words

I go on ‘tech-free’ retreats about once a month where I turn off my phone, stay off email, Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram for the day. It is my day to write and think and read.

On my retreat in December, I spent time reading my daily journal for the entire year looking for themes, words, or ideas that keep appearing.

What I am looking for are words or ideas that can inspire me. Sometimes I find a repetition of negative words.  What I then explore is their opposite meaning to offer me career inspiration for the next year. I struggled this year choosing my third word and had to “call a friend”. (Perfectly fine way of doing it, as well as using a thesaurus).

I was trying to articulate a feeling I had but struggled to find a word that captured it. My friend Rees helped me describe my feeling with a word that felt right. I actually had four words this year and he also helped me narrow my list to the below three words.

By choosing a word, rather than one goal, I can utilize the meaning of that word to offer career inspiration throughout the year. Here are my words I used in the past three years.

2016 – Health ★ Mindfulness ★ Focus

 2017 – Intentional ★ Authentic ★ Wellness

 2018 – Reach ★ Capacity ★ Consistency

career inspiration

REFLECTION

This word came to me as I realized how beneficial it is to take time to slow down and think. Each day I start by doing some QiGong (like Tai Chi) to calm myself and then I journal. By writing with pen and paper it forces me to slow down and think through what is on my mind.

Each afternoon at 2:30, I take a meditation break. These routines give me time to pause the fast pace of life and in return, I find creativity and inspiration for my work and personal life.

PURPOSEFUL

One thing I noticed in my journal and also from my business coach, is that I tend to use words and phrases like, I will try and write this week. Or, I need to or should do something. What I will be saying (notice I didn’t say try to say) is I will be more purposeful with my intentions this year.

     i.e. I will finish my book for Career Coaches this winter.

     i.e. I will write my blogs at least one month ahead of time to allow my Advisory Board more time to review

GRATITUDE

I wanted a word that made me happy. I struggle with all the crazy news coming at me daily, sometimes hourly, and wanted a word like “laugh” or “joy” or “smile” but it just didn’t feel right. As I talked it out with Rees, I realized that the word ‘gratitude’ is all about the many things in my life that make me happy. It’s not just that I want to laugh or smile, but I want to look at all the positive things going on my life that keep me going.


Are you inspired to choose 3 words for 2019?
If so, please share them here or email me your words and why you choose them.

May 2019 be a rich and fulfilling year.

Read more on “reflection” here.

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a weekly career news email for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching. He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You can also receive the career practitioners newsletter which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more.

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Tech Free Retreat

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Tech Free Retreat and The Benefits of Turning Off the Tsunami of Information

What I love about taking my tech free retreat day each month is the ‘cognitive dissonance” it causes me. An out of my comfort zone kind of ‘cognitive dissonance’. I leave the house as close to 8:00 a.m. as possible and drive to a friend’s office who so graciously lets me use it for my tech-free retreat day. And then it hits me – WHAM! It’s different. Feels different. Looks different, smells different. It will be a different day.

The cell phone is turned off.

I do not check emails.

I do not even look at any social media.

tech free retreat

Here is an inside look at my most recent retreat. I hope you can see the value of doing this to slow down your life, to reflect, and to take that broader view of your work-life.

NEXT WEEK’S PLAN

My Tech Free day typically lands on a Friday which is when I craft my plan for the following week. My “To Do” list each day is only three (3) tasks. So I take the fifteen minutes to lay out Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. Monday looks like this.

Monday

1 ) At least 90 minutes working on my book

2 ) Finish my weekly email that goes out Tuesday

3 ) Draft the email to my connections in New Hampshire and Vermont and send

I find that three big things are about all I can get done in most days. If I do get through them, I can pick one item from the following day to work on. I also schedule three smaller items. These are things that just need a little time and effort and often doesn’t require much thinking. But without scheduling them on a day, they tend to stay on my To Do list way too long.

JOURNAL

tech free retreat

The next thing I do is start journaling. Writing whatever comes into my mind. It mostly has to do with work but if something is going on in my personal life, I write it out. You’ll notice I am saying “write it out” which is because I do not do my journal on a computer. I spend enough time on the computer and find that the slower handwriting process is helpful in fleshing out my ideas. Writing forces me to take the time to actually think about what is important to me now, what is realistic, what are my priorities today. I will occasionally look back at the past few weeks and see if there are any trends or themes. My journal is often not very ‘heavy’ stuff. It is a journal that allows me to purge my thoughts out of my brain and to work on them.

SLOW STUFF

In between bursts of work I either go for a walk, meditate, do Qigong, or read, and in the afternoon I take a 25-minute nap. This nap was inspired by Daniel Pink’s newest book, When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing.

Each of these activities is for the sole purpose of slowing myself down. Giving myself permission to be mindful and in the moment. The power of mindfulness continually reminds me to be present in whatever moment I have.

I always have a book or two I am reading but will sometimes feel guilty if I stop work to read most days. Not on my retreat day though. This is my day to slow down and read for a while in a book or a professional journal that has been sitting by my desk for a few weeks. Today is the day to slow down.

BIG PICTURE

tech free retreat

I keep a three-month calendar on the wall in my office which shows me what is coming up, projects I have, and my editorial calendar on it. I always spend some time on my editorial calendar on my retreats. Looking ahead to what my blogs will be on. Who do I want to interview? What tips do I want to share each week? Webinars? Facebook Live? The better I am at looking ahead and planning the fewer crisis events I have to face weekly.

Being able to step back and look at the next 90 days helps me to conceptualize what needs to get done in the next 60 days, 30 days, week. I feel so much better when I have my three-month calendar up to date. I know that I don’t have to worry about my upcoming webinar for another 3 weeks. Whew! That feels good. But then I can see that my speech coming up in four weeks will need attention next week. All good stuff.

CREATIVITY

Growth happens with cognitive dissonance. When you are forced to “think” in a different way. When someone says or does something that challenges beliefs, values, and attitudes it forces us to ponder and wonder if there is another way of doing things. My tech free retreat day almost always causes me to challenge some beliefs. This challenge causes creativity. Changing things up by leaving my office/home and going someplace new and doing different things throughout the day helps me find different solutions. Solutions that I would not get when I am “peddle to the metal” all day like I am so many other work days.

I encourage you to consider taking a tech free day, or a half day, sometime soon.

This crazy world we live in and its ‘tsunami of information’ coming at us all the time is not healthy. Put your health and wellbeing ahead of technology and take a retreat.

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a monthly newsletter for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching. He is the author of A Field Guide for Career Practitioners: Helping Your Clients Create Their Next Move

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You can also receive the career practitioners newsletter which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more.

Peak Careers - Professional Development for Careers

Why Should You Consider Online Professional Development

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Online professional development has become one of my “go to” ways to learn.

online professional development

I can’t believe I have been teaching online for 17 years! I began with the Facilitating Career Development (FCD) class when Cathy Van Dyke and I combined the face-to-face class with a “home built” discussion board. This kind of hybrid course was very new then. I have since added online seminars using a learning management system called Haiku LMS. Providing online professional development has become a cornerstone of my business.

When I first started teaching online very few people had experience learning online. Now nearly everyone has some experience learning online is some format. A recent survey by the Babson Survey Research Group found that one-third of college students take at least one online class. The 2017 Training Industry Report found that nearly 30% of all training in business and government is done online.  As a result, people are comfortable with the reading and writing involved in this learning format as nearly everyone is on some form of social media, uses email, and text messages.

Online professional development, elearning (all forms of electronic learning), and mlearning (learning on a mobile device) are all great ways to learn.

[Read more…] about Why Should You Consider Online Professional Development

Why Relationship Building is so Important

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Relationship Building requires time, energy, and consistent interaction.

–Relationship building while interviewing Dr. Niles–

Relationship building is where you can move your career forward. It is more than “networking” or communicating with your “connections”. Both these words, “networking” and ”connections” feel hollow to me. A “network”  has an old school feel to it like something business people do to sell something. A “connection” almost feels like a number to me.

A “relationship” is something that feels stronger and has more give and take. When you are building your relationships you get to tell your story about the real you. Your strengths, traits, values, interests, and passions are your story, so start telling it to everyone, everywhere you go. The real value in building and maintaining professional relationships is keeping yourself known so when opportunities DO come up, your professional relationships will think of you.

career pathway for high school
————————Relationship building over zoom————————

Because so many professional relationships either start online or are maintained online, it is critical that you utilize the largest career database in the world, LinkedIn. Start with a strong profile (Start at the Beginning) and then engage online with “likes” “shares” and “comments” or creation of your own content. Each time you do one of these, it sends a message to your network about what is important to you. 

You can also be involved in any of the other social media platforms out there, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc and when you are involved, always keep the filter of “relationship building” on in your background.

People will hire you when they know, like, and trust you. This happens when you share your story with others and offer help throughout the year and throughout your entire career. Building the relationship and maintaining that relationship is the key to your career development.

How do you do relationship building?

Relationship building over coffee.    🙂
This is a “flat Kate” that my niece’s daughter sent me to for a school project

Tip 1). Obviously online you can reach out to people who are writing on topics of interest to you and let them know you are reading their posts by “liking” “sharing” and “commenting”. I once read a National Career Development Association article in Career Convergence and was so interested in the topic that I reached out to the author and asked if we could Skype. She was more than happy to and I was thrilled to further explore the topic. That was about 4 or 5 years ago and occasionally I still reach out to Adry.

Tip 2). Identify someone in your network you have not talked to in a while. Reach out to them. A simple phone call is a great way to start but with the ability to video-conference so readily at our fingertips, this offers another great way to communicate with people in your network. For those people who are geographically closer, there is nothing like a coffee/tea, a meal, or beverage of choice, to keep moving forward on relationship building.

Tip 3). Another simple way to continue to build that relationship is to check in with your contacts and ask if they have any upcoming projects they are working on. You may then offer some advice, a helping hand, or refer them to someone you know who might be helpful to them. You can also bring up any big projects you have coming up and ask them if they have any advice.

By reaching out to people and working on relationship building, your network will be strong and continue to be strong. Yes, it takes effort to build and maintain relationships but the effort pays off in the long run as you never know who might help you sometime in the future. 

I call my brother weekly, video-conference monthly with my backpacking buddies Rees & Howard, call my dad weekly, and take my wife out to eat for date night once a week. Yes, there is time and energy spent but the payoffs are great. 

Richard Feller talks about the fact that you are the average of the six people you hang out with. As I look at my closest friends I realize that I get kindness from my brother, thoughtfulness from Rees, humor from Howard, and groundedness from my wife. I choose my friends wisely now that I know that.

I also believe you are the average of the six professionals you hang out with as well. That is why I grabbed a beer with James last week, am having lunch with Tammy next week, video-conferenced with Bob, and agreed to meet with Andrea last week. I learn from each of them and hopefully, they learn something from me. 

So get out of that comfort zone and move into your “stretch zone” where you actively build your relationships and don’t take them for granted.

Jim Peacock is the Principal at Peak-Careers Consulting and writes a monthly newsletter for career practitioners. Peak-Careers offers discussion-based online seminars for career practitioners focused on meeting continuing education needs for CCSP, GCDF and BCC certified professionals as well as workshops for career practitioners and individual career coaching.

Sign up here to receive my  TOP 10 TIPS WHEN WORKING WITH AN UNDECIDED PERSON.  You can also receive the career practitioners newsletter which includes a variety of career topics, industry news, interesting events, and more. 

Peak Careers - Professional Development for Careers